💃 Dance Dance Moped Revolution

Plus, gas prices hit records highs, Brussels pays people to ditch cars, and Swobbee banks $6.5M for swappable batteries.

March 15, 2022

What You Need to Know This Week

  • Dance, a Berlin-based ebike subscription startup, is expanding its service to Hamburg, Munich, Vienna, and Paris. Customers in those cities will now be able to reserve a Dance ebike for €79/month, including maintenance and theft protection. Dance also announced it is acquiring the German moped subscription startup Rollich, signaling its intention to offer a wider variety of electric two-wheelers to urban commuters. (Listen: Dance’s Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss explains how his background at Soundcloud inspired him to create an ebike platform you can “stream.”)

  • Average US gas price rose 22% in two weeks to record $4.43 a gallon.

  • It’s no surprise you get more bang for you buck when you bike, but did you know that for the price of a single gallon of gas, you can power an electric bike for 2,000 miles? Maybe instead of suspending gas taxes, the government should be subsidizing ebikes…

  • With commuters avoiding the pump however they can, cities like Omaha are experiencing record levels of bus and bikeshare ridership.

  • Meanwhile Uber is tacking a fuel surcharge onto rides—even EVs.

For founders raising money, what is the secret to hearing the word “no” less? Tomorrow, on this month’s Micromobility Pro webinar, we’ll glean insights from veteran VCs and entrepreneurs about their approach to micromobility investments.

Join Micromobility Pro to gain access to tomorrow’s virtual discussion plus other cool perks, including discount event tickets, special networking opportunities, and an exclusive archive of 40+ hours of interviews with industry thought-leaders.

  • It’s not just gas-powered cars that are getting hit by price hikes, EVs could also become more expensive due to the rising cost of nickel following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

  • Swobbee, a Berlin-based startup that’s working on commercializing battery swapping for micromobility vehicles, raises a $6.5M Series A round. Led by EIT InnoEnergy.

  • Signa Sports takes a stake in Buzzbike, a UK-based subscription bike service, to underwrite US expansion.

  • Brussels is offering to pay people €900 to cancel their car registrations.

  • Ebike sales are now the majority of the bike market in the Netherlands. However, as a result of Covid-induced supply chain disruptions, the Dutch ebike and bicycle market saw a record sales volume decline of almost 16% last year.

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  • Biden is restoring California’s ability to set its own auto pollution rules. Also, the EPA is tightening tailpipe regulations for buses, vans, and trucks.

  • Tern’s new e-cargo bike is priced to maximize America’s proposed federal tax credit. Let’s hope it passes…

  • Superpedestrian, the escooter hardware and software platform, makes Fast Company’s list of the most innovative transportation companies of 2022.

  • Joco, a docked ebike service that operates in New York City, is pivoting its strategy away from commuter riders to delivery rentals.

  • A new study from Europe finds that road traffic noise is not only annoying, it’s also correlated to higher rates of heart disease.

  • Estonia-based Ampler has added two new pedelecs to its ebike lineup as it attempts to appeal to different types of riders’ styles, sizes, and tastes.

  • Following Miami’s attempts to ban shared scooters due to safety concerns late last year, Swiftmile and Helbiz are partnering to promote responsible riding in the city.

  • Joyride, a white-label software platform for micromobility operators to launch and manage fleets, has struck a hardware deal with Element.

  • Iconic motorcycle company Indian has teamed up with Super73 to create a fast ebike that won’t require a motorcycle license.

Jobs to Be Done

Welcome to our jobs board, where every week we post open positions in hopes of connecting our talented readers with professional opportunities in the burgeoning world of new mobility. Find out who’s hiring below and sign up for the newsletter to view fresh listings every week.

Hit reply if you have a job that you’re interested in listing.

Comodule (hybrid/remote):

Dance (Berlin, unless otherwise noted):

Radio Flyer: Bike Design Engineer (Chicago)

National Youth Bike Council: Volunteer Advisors